Are You Happy Now?
by MrsFeltonMrsMalfoy
Summary: Hermione and Draco are both victims of bullying, one is bullied in the open, the other behind closed doors... can they help heal the other? More importantly how will Ron and Harry react?
1. Are You Happy Now?

She stood out in the crowd

Was a little too loud

But that's why we love her

Hermione Granger laughed hysterically at something that Ron had said. She didn't seem to care about the strange and dirty glares that she was receiving from other people in the Great Hall.

Hermione had always been different from the other kids for her intelligence even in her muggle school she had been called names, but here even some teachers picked on her for her seemingly endless knowledge on anything and everything.

She's not like other girls,

She could have conquered the world

Until you broke her down.

'Mudblood.' 'Slut.' 'Attention whore.' All these names were constantly thrown at her, the former because of her blood status, the second and the latter because her best friends were both boys. Draco Malfoy was the main person to call her these names, and as much as she would like to say that it doesn't affect her. It does. The stabbing pain it introduced was excruciating, people had no idea what their words could do to someone's self esteem.

Are you happy now?

That she's on the ground

And do you realize

The words you say

Make bruises (that don't fade away)

Are you happy now?

That you brought her down

And she's thinking that she won't fit in

'Cause you said something's wrong with her

Are you happy now?

Hermione thought, after 5 years of brutal words hitting her full force wherever she went in the wizarding world, it was her fault that people called her the names that they did...

It was her fault she was a 'mudblood' if she had never been born, she wouldn't have had this problem. It was her fault that she was a 'slut' maybe if she tried to get along more with girls she would be seen as a normal girl. It was her fault that she was an 'attention whore' maybe if she hadn't tried to prove her worth and had stayed in the shadows, nobody would have noticed her.

Maybe there was something wrong with her.

He likes science not sports

He knew what he stood for

He's not like you

You don't like that.

Draco Malfoy, pureblood extraordinaire. Not at all the muggle hater he seems to be, in fact, he loved the muggle sciences, they intrigued him. His father was the person to push him into joining the quidditch team, his father bribed the team, and he did not believe in Voldemort's ideals. He knew exactly what he stood for but could not act on it.

The last time he tried to disprove the pure blooded beliefs he was ridiculed for days.

15 years down the road

He could be everything and you won't

But right now you're breaking him

Down...

He knew that in 15 years time when all of his 'friends', who only associated with him because of his blood status and wealth, had bought their way into the ministry he would be successful on his own terms. But the pressure of being the Slytherin God and being expected to carry on the pure Malfoy line, it was wearing him down.

Picking on Granger was the only way to prove his worth to his house, no matter how bad it made him feel.

Are you happy now?

That he's on the ground

And do you realize

the words you say

Make bruises (that don't fade away)

Are you happy now?

That you brought him down

And he's thinking that he won't fit in

'Cause you said something's wrong with him

Are you happy now?

Draco thought, after 5 years of pressure raining down on him to be the best, it was his fault. Maybe if he got better grades his father wouldn't always be so angry at him all the time.

Maybe if he dated Parkinson his house wouldn't be so brutal towards him.

Maybe there was something wrong with him.

I've heard that it was done to you

Is that why you do what you do?

Well that's no excuse, no

And if it felt like hell to you

Then why'd you want to put them through What hurt you?

Hermione never bit back as hard as she could at Malfoy, no matter how much she wanted to, because she saw the way his house treated him when they thought no one was around.

With a father like his, who could blame him for being so bitter?

One particular day when the remarks got all the more biting and personal, Malfoy called her one of the most foul things he could that really hit a personal spot, he called her an 'insufferable know-it-all freak', Hermione ran into the one bathroom that no one else entered, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to sob her heart out. When she heard someone enter, she tried her best to look natural. But of course, you guessed it, Malfoy had been the one to enter.

Draco watched with a guilt stricken face as Hermione ran away crying, he felt terrible. Obviously one of his house mates had sussed out his emotional turmoil and began taunting and pushing him around. 'MUDBLOOD LOVER' was chanted continuously at him, occasionally coupled with a scathing remark. And, finally, he understood how Granger must have felt every. single. day. He broke free of the stuck up snobs, and ran to Myrtle's bathroom. He entered to see Hermione wiping away at her face, trying to act like she wasn't crying.

"What do you want Malfoy" she asked with no venom in her tone.

"To say I'm sorry" he replied breaking down.

"How do you stay so strong Hermione? I'm tired of being a pompous prat, I never wanted to be. I just wanted to be me."

"Shhh... it's okay, I forgive you, shhh, you're gonna be fine, and you know what? We shouldn't care what they say, we should walk out of here with our heads held high, that is exactly what we're gonna do."

Are you happy now?

That you've brought them down?

I-I-I I don't think so

Are you happy now

That they're on the ground?

And do you realize the words you say

Make bruises that don't fade away

Are you happy now

That you've brought them down?

And they're thinking that they won't fit in

'Cause you said something's wrong with them

Are you happy now?

With one look at each other they shared a hug that was filled with the raw pain that both people felt, and when the embrace ended they clasped each other's hands and walked out the door, ignoring any harsh words thrown in their direction, because now... they had each other for support, they needn't worry about fitting in any more.

A/N

And that's my first story guys! I do hope you liked it, the song is 'are you happy now?' by Megan and Liz, you should totally check it out.

If you did enjoy my little story review please it would make my day, well it's night at the moment... meh mere technicalities.

Thanks for reading

MrsFeltonMrsMalfoy


	2. The Reaction

Draco and Hermione left Myrtle's bathroom together, walking in a comfortable silence.

"Mal-Draco?" Hermione asked tentatively,

"what does this mean? Are we friends, or do we go back to hating each other?"

"Honestly 'Mione I have no idea, I don't think I can hate you anymore, I admire your strength, and to be honest I really would like to be friends" Draco answered sheepishly.

"I'd like that too, you're really nice without your housemates around you... you know that?" Hermione replied with a blossoming smile.

**_Later on in the Great Hall_**

The newly bonded friends walked together throughout the day, learning things about the other, eventually they reached the Great Hall doors, Hermione asked in a small voice

"Draco? Wanna sit with me. I-I-I I mean you don't have to it was j-just an idea, forget I said anything."

"Hermione." Draco said in a soft voice,

"I would love to, now come on I'm famished! "

He proceeded to pull a squealing, laughing Hermione Granger both were oblivious to anyone around them the only person they noticed was the other.

Without realising it the two friends had drifted closer together and were slowly leaning in when...

"HERMIONE WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT SLIMY GIT!" Ron and Harry screamed in unison.

"Ohh, now you care... you didn't care for the past 5 years! when your 'friends' were calling me 'bucktoothed Granger'. Face it all you want me around for is to do your homework" Hermione finished in a deathly quiet tone whilst Ron and Harry stood speechless.

"And if you must know, I was just about to eat dinner with _Draco_" 'Mione added with a glare emphasizing the name.

"Bu-bu-but but we're your friends, we're everything your not." Ron stated, "who wouldn't want to be friends with us?" He ended with a confused tone.

"Exactly Weaslebee you're everything she's not" Draco started, Ron began to smile thinking he had won, his smile rapidly faded when he listed Hermione's admirable qualities

"She can:

live through 5 years of bullying and not break,

remember books off by heart,

Keep a cool head, even in the face of danger,

And she is more intelligent than any of you Gryffindors"

Hermione looked at Draco with a grateful gleam in her eye, winked and mouthed play along,

Hermione said "and I'm friends with Draco because,

He understands me,

He listens to me,

And most importantly I can actually hold an intellectual conversation with him!"

"Now leave me to eat in peace. I'm sorry, but I can't allow myself to be walked all over anymore."

With that Hermione turned and walked away with Draco following closely behind. The entire mass of students in the Great Hall now held a begrudging respect for the Girl-Who-Dared-To-Be-Herself.

_**I've finished it! :D this was just basically the epilogue**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it if you did please review, if you didnt review anyway to tell me how bad it was. **_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**MrsFeltonMrsMalfoy**_


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